Seven New England Patriots players have opted out of the 2020 season to this point. In doing so, they have full support from their head coach. Bill Belichick spoke to the media on Friday and supported any of his players who decided to opt out of the 2020 season as the COVID-19 pandemic continues
Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon, Brandon Bolden, Danny Vitale, Najee Toran and Marqise Lee all opted out. The organization does not expect any more players to do so. Over a video call, Belichick told reporters that he respects the players choice to stay at home with their families during this pandemic.
“I respect all of them,” Belichick said. “I respect all the players on our team. We all have to make decisions. I talked to those guys, and they explained their situation. They had to make the decision that was best for them, and I totally respect and support it, 100 percent.”
“Again, I think everybody’s got to make their own individual decisions on that, and they have to weigh their own situation,” Belichick said. “Each one of us is unique and we all have different lives, situations, families, environments, and so forth and so on. There’s no two situations that are the same. Everybody will have to make their own decision on that.”
In a season unlike any other, Belichick will have to do more maneuvering than usual. As he has proven over the years, Belichick has the unique ability to adapt to even the most difficult situations.
